Magical Portraiture
 

It had been a long time since Jacob Cutter had come to Hogwarts. As he bustled around the front of the room, opening containers and peering into them before sorting them onto piles, he tried to figure out just how long it actually had been. What year had he even taught here?

The one when the crazy pub guy had shown up at the school. He wrinkled his nose as he remembered the unfortunate school year; he'd been blissfully unaware of all the craziness going on, seeing as he'd fallen asleep on the grass in the greenhouses and hadn't been alerted. Still felt a little guilty about that, as people had gotten hurt, but.... oh well. No time to dwell.

The students would be coming soon, and he had to finish setting things up. An idle flick at the board set words in motion across the dark surface, the letters curling into his distinctly poor handwriting.

While that scrawled itself across the board, he finished setting out the cauldrons and burners on the tables, adding a few small empty porcelain dishes to each station before returning to the front of the room to watch the students arrive. Stretching, he sank into a chair behind the desk and absently adjusted the sheet covering something that stood on an easel next to the desk.

ooc: Welcome to your second seminar of the term! As Cutter said above, it's an optional lesson and you're not required to attend, but I'll be pleased to have any and all of you here! I'm going to give some time for students to arrive before starting, please don't make me regret it by filling the thread with chatter. This lesson should run for about a week, and hopefully we can all have a lot of fun during it.

As this isn't a subject that is really covered in canon, your character might not know a lot about it, but please don't let that deter you from trying to answer any questions! I'm going to try and do what Tegz did with her seminar and keep this first post updated with what's going on in the class, and if anything confuses you, please feel free to PM or VM me.

-Cutter

YESSSS!

West was READY for this. He wasn't wearing arty stuff, but he was wearing old clothes that already had a few splatters of paint. He'd also brought a few things with him in his bag and he bouunnnnnded to the front of the room and chose a seat.

Whowasgonnasitnexttohimmmm???


Was he gonna say hi to the professor dude? Nah. The firstie bounced eagerly in his chosen seat. THISWASGONNABEEPIC!

Chelle had heard about the second seminar of the term- the seminar of Magical Portraiture. As a good Ravenclaw, she made it a point to attend all these seminars, to try to get to know as much as she could about everything in magic. She was always the curious sort. So she entered the venue of the seminar and glanced at the board.

Good thing I decided to wear these.

She took a seat at the front of the class and observed the items kept on the desk. As she was told not to, she did not touch them. She looked around the classroom, at the Professor whom she had never seen here before, and waited patiently for the class to begin.

OOC: Anyone can come and sit next to Chelle! :)

Unlike the alchemy seminar, Spike thought he actually had a fair chance of understanding this one. Not an amazing chance, seeing as the title included the word magical, but a fair one. And he'd found this year that he actually quite liked sketching and drawing, what with Muggle Studies homework, and drawing the dragon egg in Care of Magical Creatures. Colouring had always been Indy's domain - she was the more creative one - and yet it turned out that Spike wasn't all that bad at it, when he put his mind to it.

"Good day, Sir," he greeted the instructor, as he ventured into the classroom. He was dressed in his casual khaki shorts and a blue hoody, both slightly dusty from a previous trip to the greenhouses. Art was meant to be about being comfortable, right? He headed to a middle-ish table (so as to not to look too keen), and sat down, staring at the cauldron and dishes. Didn't painting just involve paints? Well...that was unexpected, for starters. He looked up at the board, to see if it gave any clues. He squinted at the writing, trying to identify what it said. Hopefully nothing important, as it was worse than Spike's own handwriting and he could barely make out the words. Something about messy and docking points. Well, Spike certainly didn't mind getting messy...and the other houses were welcome to lose points if they wished. As long as the Claws didn't, Prefect Spike would be happy.

Magical... what?

As soon as Nora heard about this seminar class thingy, she knew she wanted to attend, although she wasn't sure what this was about. Were they going to make... portraits... magically? Pffft, her art/painting/whatever skills were awful; easily mistaken with the drawings of a three year old child. But... this was magical, and she was good with spells. Maybe she'll do better... or worse.

Stepping inside the classroom, the girl's attention was immediately caught by what was scribbled on the board, after which she realized that she had no idea who this man was, the one that would probably be teaching. Professor Cutter? Ugh, she didn't like how his name sounded. "Hello, sir."

Well, remembering what the board said, she approached a table where a younger girl was already seated, and smiled at her. "Hi. Do you mind if I join you?" The board said that they should be two at each table, so she was going to get a partner before it was too late.

Who knows, maybe they'll even get along and be friends. With Nora's always present enthusiasm and... well, always being so cheerful, it shouldn't be that difficult.

When Derrick saw there would be a lesson thta had the Word Portrait in it he wasn't too thrilled about it.But once he found out out that before the word Portrait,there was the word Magical he raced to the Astronomy Tower.He walked in casually,and sat down next to some First Year Slytherin.''Mind if I Sit down?''He asked.

lolol XD forgive him
 

...

"Yes. I mind." West eyed the big kid. Who WAS that guy? And why was he sitting here? The desks were only in twos so whoever he let sit next to him had to be someone that he knew and liked and thought was cool and that meant, if not one of his besties or his sister, first year and/or Slytherin. This big boy wasn't any of those things!

He eyed him suspiciously.

Why ask if he minded when he'd already sat? West was NOT SHARING HIS PAINTS!

Magical... Portraiture?

It was a curious seminar title he admits, and a big reason why this Ravenclaw made the short trip from his common room to the Astronomy Tower. He would at the very least try to learn whatever interesting concepts that would be taught today, even if he had that strange feeling this may have something to do with a skill set he is just not blessed with.

As he crossed the threshold he spotted some of the materials in the room and had that sinking feeling. Yeah this looked like it had something to do with artwork, and the most experience he had was going through museums staring at them with his grandmother. Plus that little job he did with Scabior's office but he wont be putting that on his achievement list anytime soon.

He nodded his head politely at the man he could guess would be the seminar speaker "Hello Sir." he greeted him and decided to take one of the vacant tables at the back. If all they would do is look at artwork the location would prove well as he was farsighted; if they would be making art then at least he would hopefully lessen any chances of humiliating himself in front of everybody.

Magical Portraiture Seminar.

That sounded promising. Anyhow, to a person who liked anything that had to do with art, this seminar seemed to be the perfect activity. Heh. With an actual smile on her face, the fourth year made her way towards the classroom. Truth be told, she was kind of curious who the person teaching was. Perhaps it was someone they already knew… like Professor Schirmer? Hmmm.

As soon as she stepped in, the Ravenclaw gave a quick look around. ‘Good day, Sir’, she finally said as she spotted the man, who was probably Professor Cutter. There were a few students in the classroom, but most of them were already sitting in pairs, so Gwendolyn walked over towards the first student she saw alone. ‘Mind if I join you?’

Just as he settled down his eyes drew near a fellow Claw that looked to be headed towards the back of the room. And she stopped. Right by his table.

He remembered this one... the one from Astronomy class... when they had an Astronomy class...

"I dont mind.... Gwen" that was her name right? Oy he better have not messed that up "By all means" he added as he set his thing aside to give the Eagle lass some room.

Theodore whirled into this class like a big ball of energy. Anything that involved getting messy was completely his kind of thing. He wasn't even sure what Portraiture meant, but judging by all the stuff on the tables, it was something arty. WOOT.

He was about to pull up a seat next to West until some Gryffindor stole it. Oh, okay.

Theo found an empty table, on his own.

Cos he was much too afraid to just sit down next to some stranger. Looked like they were mostly oldies, too. Le sigh.

"Hallo...." Was he a professor? Or a sir? Or a mister? Mister, would do, "...Mister."

This was going to be fun. Sarah needn;t worry about wearing clothes that she didn't getting dirty. Afterall, she was sensible enough not to wear dressrobes or something like that to this class, all her other clothes where casual, and she didn't care about them so much. Sarah found an empty seat and sat down after greeting the proffesor.
OOC: Anyone want to sit next to Sarah?

Ella entered the seminar wearing some old clothing and a smile. She was really curious as to what they would be doing and was more than excited to learn something new. As she walked by the board, she noted the man seated behind the desk and greeted him cheerfully. "Hi Sir, I'm Ella." You know, just in case he was wondering or anything. And now she was meant to find a seat, yeah?

Spotting the little lurker sitting by himself, Ella weighed the options of sitting next to the firsty. On the one hand, apparently the little guy thought she loved him, so sitting next to him would only further that feeling, right? On the other hand, Theodore was ridiculous at all times so it would definitely be amusing to share a table with him. Might it also be amusing to make him feel a bit uncomfortable because he thought she liked him? Heh.

Making her way over, Ella plopped her bag on the floor beside the table and sat down with a small smile. "Hey Theodore."

Ohh, he hated waiting for lessons to start. Why couldn't everyone be as eager as him and turn up on time/early? Theo beamed as someone sat next to him already. Cos you know, he must be so gosh darn popular...

But it was only Ella.

Sitting next to him cos she loved him? Most likely.

"Hallo, Ella." He said, scratching his head slightly. The smile freaked him out. If only she knew everything that he had been telling others behind her back. O_O The first year looked away from her immediately.

The one thing this school did right, was giving seminar classes. It was always good to learn more than the usual stuff they teached and the Slytherin actually liked them. Sometimes...depends on the subject.

As for this one, Magical portraiture, he had never heard of before but he figured it had to do something with the portraits like in the staircase. Where they going to make a picture move?

As he stood in front of the man, he bowed his head in greeting and smiled. "Hi sir~!" he said with a bright smile that he was used to showing now and hoised his bag higher on his shoulder, the yellow head of his plush duck was sticking out of it. "Uhm, welcome to Hogwarts, Sir.."

With one last quick nod of his head, Daichi turned to sit down on an empty chair. His eyes tried to read the poorly hand writing on the board but even with his glasses on he couldn't figure it out. Oh well it probably said that they weren't suppose to touch anything or something. The usual.

The snake leaned back in his chair and looked around, wondering who or if anyone would sit with him.

Selena liked to draw. Given she had stopped quite a bit from her first year here and Hogwarts but she had gotten busy. Surely a sketchpad could forgive her for that. Humming, Selena skipped over to the class - Magical Portraiture. That sounded like a lot of fun. And Selena liked fun. The girl wished she could've brought her pygmy puff though... she was sure Kent would've liked this too. Especially since there had to be a kid with a drippy nose somewhere for the pygmy puff to snack on.

"Hellooooo Professor," Selena chirped, beaming at the guy. She gave him a quick wave then looked around the room.

OH LOOK.

Empty table. Selena liked empty tables too! The Slytherin plopped herself down at one of the chairs and kicked her legs back and forth. Oh, maybe she should've chosen a half empty table so she could talk to someone. woops.

Huh. That wasn't exactly the cheerful greeting she had expected. Sure the little weirdo thought she loved him but they were still meant to be friends, right? And what was this averting his gaze from her thing? That was quite suspicious. She tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment, trying to imagine what could have caused him to look so...guilty? Afraid? "You alright, lurker?" She asked after a couple of minutes. See? She cared! That's what friends did. And while she waited for an answer she removed a quill and some parchment from her bag, ready to take notes.

Hope you don't mind. ^__^
 

Hmmm..another seminar. This should be good, just like the others. The fourth year, Hufflepuff walked into the classroom with a small smile on her face. She had been having a rather pleasant morning and hopefully this lesson would be just as pleasant. She gave a small nod to the unfamiliar looking Professor and then went over to look for a place to sit.

Most of the tables were empty for now, and she must have been one of the earlier students for a change. Renesmee bit her lip. She had two options, either sit alone and hope to get a nice person to sit next to...oorr she could choose someone now. Peering around at all the desks, she couldn't really anyone she noticed. Her usual pout formed as she tried to make up her mind.

It was then she saw a sweet looking girl sitting on her own. She walked over a little closer to the girl. The girl looked a little familair and if Nessie remembered correctly, she had remembered seeing this girl in Slytherin uniform a few times. This made Ness debate whether this was a good idea or not. She wasn't too fond of Slytherins, most of them were just not her kind of people and she didn't get along with many of them.

Oh well..might as well give the girl a try, right?

"Um..is this seat taken?" She asked a little shyly, hoping this girl was sweet after all.

Selena wondered if the professor would mind them eating in the classroom. She had a chocolate bar in her bag with her name on it - literally. She had written her name on it so people would know it was hers and so that they couldn't STEAL her chocolate bar. Evil chocolate bar stealers these days... hmph. Selena opened her bag, and was quite ready to take out her chocolate bar to eat before she heard a voice.

The Slytherin looked up and placed her hands on top of her bag. She would take out the chocolate later.... she couldn't share her breakfast chocolate. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And what was this girl talking about seats? Oh right...

There was an empty seat. Which meant she had people to talk to now. Epicalness. "If you sit in it, it'll be taken," Selena said with a huuuugeee smile on her face. As nice as this girl seemed... she still wasn't going to share her chocolate. "I'm Selena Zabini-Riddle, and I'm going to name you PEACH."

Feeling a little awkward, Ness stood as she watched this Slytherin girl. The red head raised her brow. That was odd. She watched as the girl hurriedly covered her bag with her hands. Was there something her bag that she was hiding? Maybe? Oh, well whatever it was it didn't bother Ness too much, though she had to admit she was just a tad curious, but then she was always curious.

Curious little thing she was.

Good, at least she had somewhere to sit now."Thanks, I guess."The Huffie took her seat attempting to return the smile to this Selena, she stopped midway though, when the girl continued talking and told her she was going to name her Peach.

*mellow*

Renesmee blinked and then her face went completely serious. What was it with Slytherins and their nicknames? The red head slowly faked a smile and she thought of Oliver the other Slytherin that gave her nicknames. "Um..Peach? My names Nessie though." she tried to be polite, but couldn't help herself. "Fine if you call me Peach then, I'll call you erm..Bag?" Nessie's eyed the bag again, still interested as to what was inside it.

This Selena girl seemed alright, and anyways Peach wasn't that bad of a nickname, it was WAY better then Squidy or Squidward.

Louisa made the short trip up to the Astronomy tower, slightly pausing before professor Edvard's ex-office before moving up toward their new seminar. Magical Portraiture. That sounded highly amusing and interesting, she made a mental note to spy look for Jonathan in class and tag along since he MUST reveal his mysterious talent. A sketcher couldn't hide his powers in an Art kinda class, right? Riiiiight.

Strolling into the room Louisa smiled at the man, "Hello sir. Louisa Carter, Ravenclaw Prefect. Very excited to attend your class today." She paused just a few seconds before turning her head and scanning the others in the room.

Nope. No Johnny yet.

The seventeen years old went on and claimed one of the random empty spots.

If you don't mind
 

Nigel thought this optional lesson looked like fun. So he took the short walk from the common room to the Astronomy Tower. He did like instructed and wore clothes that he did really not care if they got dirty or not. Walking into the room he looked up at the professor or teacher. Nigel did not really know what title he had, so he said, "Hello, Sir".

He then spotted a Ravenclaw that looked exactly like Laura. Myabe it was her twin or something. He walks over to her and asks "Is this seat taken?"

Selena just continued to blink at the girl in reply. Well, Selena was obviously aware that the girl had a REAL name... she wasn't stupid plus, she had a shiny badge of AUTHORITY. Silly Hufferpuff. "You can't call me Bag, that's not a fruit," Selena pointed out. Silly, silly girl. Didn't she know that FRUIT nicknames were the nicknames to have? Not clothing nicknames. That was just weird. She wouldn't go around calling someone top hat, even if it would be fun.

"You can call me Cherry," Selena decided. Because that was her fruit nickname. Yup. Fruit nicknames were cool. Maybe they'd draw fruits. Or fruit people. Either one would be acceptable. Were they going to be partners? Selena always wanted to be partners with a Peach person.

Chelle looked up as an older girl asked to join her. "Hey! Sure, sit down," she replied, grinning and gestured towards the empty spot next to her. She liked meeting new people. And she needed a partner anyway, according to what the board said. "I'm Michelle, but you can call me Chelle," she said, introducing herself to the girl.

It wasn't like Ellie to come to these things. Extra classes. Who'd want to do that? Except the points crazy. And the weirdos who liked learning. But she was taking any opportunity to distract herself. Find herself a hobby. And who knew? Maybe Ellie Stone had a knack for painting?

Those drawings in Arithmancy were nothing to go off of, okay? Those were....DOODLES. Or....something.

The redhead waved to the stranger man as she entered and scanned for a seat. Spike would be a good partner in this, wouldn't he? "Hey you," she said, poking his side as she sat down.

She, too, eyed the cauldrons. They....weren't making potions were they? Not real ones, anyway....right? With creatures' mucus and spawn and eyeballs?

Her legs swung wildy under the table as she looked at all the paints and things at her table excitedly. They were going to PAINT or something! Dora wasn't all too sure of what exactly they were gonna do, but I didn't matter. Look at the paint! And she didn't yet have a partner so it was allllllllllllll hers. Heh.

She and her slightly worn clothes were READY for this lesson. The brief glance she afforded the professor said as much. Her glances may have also been telling the other students entering to hurry up so it COULD start when she looked there way. Only a lot.

Since Erin had not attended the first seminar, she kind of needed to come here. As a Ravenclaw of course, who wanted to earn extra points, even if it was only for attendance. She had nothing to know about the subject in any way and she was very sure that no one in this class knew about Magical Portraiture. In her three years in Hogwarts, she had never heard of it. Okay, she shouldn't be underestimating the knowledge of the Purebloods and those who grew up in the wizarding world, whatever?

Erin smiled at the seminar conductor and greeted him, "Good day, Sir. I hope to learn a lot from you." As a Ravenclaw, she kind of needed to say that too. Quickly turning her gaze to find a seat, her eyes found an Asian face. Yeah, Daichi, the guy everyone coined as the Duck Boy. She moved her way past the other seats and when she reached his spot, "Hi Duck Boy!" Erin greeted with a huge smile, "Is this seat somehow reserved?"

Seriously? Ness had to focus with every bit of her brain to stop herself from giggling. Bag wasn't a fruit? What was up with this girl? Was she like the Fruit Salad Queen or something? Who knew? It was kinda funny and entertaining, so Ness just grinned at this girl and let out just a tiny laugh. Laughing wasn't to rude, right? It wasn't like she could help herself anylonger anyways.

Cherry. That seemed much better then Peach. Why had the girl even thought of peaches? Renesmee pouted, it had to be her reddish, orange hair that give this 'Cherry' girl the idea of peaches from all fruit. "Alright then, I guess." The pout turned into a small smile. "Cherry and Peach it is." And after that she wasn't too sure what to say anymore, so she just kept her mouth shut hoping the lesson would start soon. She was really looking forward to it.

ooc: my apologies for the delay; seems my computer chose the worst of days to break down. My responses may be slow, as I still haven't managed to get it to boot up.

With an idle glance at his charmed watch, Cutter checked the time, murmuring greetings to all the children who had greeted him. It was about time he started, he supposed; rising from his seat, he flicked his wand to close the door and smiled at the class.

"Hello students, my name is Jacob Cutter, and I'll be running your seminar on Magical Portraiture today...." he looked out over the students and gestured at them absently. "Magical portraiture is the process of making moving art. Not just moving art, but works of art that can interact with you, or other portraits."

He paused, looking over the young faces, considering them all.

"First I need to figure something out though... the school, as you know, is full of magical portraits. Some even serve practical purposes, as those of you who like to visit the kitchens well know. But how much do you all actually know about these portraits? Or any magical portraits, for that matter? Anyone?"

Hmm...what did Ella know about magical portraits? She had read pretty much every book she could find on the school and now merely needed to pull up the information. Not that that would be easy...not with all the other stuff she'd been cramming up there lately.

After a few minutes of thinking hard, Ella raised her hand. "I believe I read that the people depicted in the portraits... well they're kind of like a...well an echo or memory of the person they are meant to portray. I guess that means they think and act like the real thing only they don't have all the emotions and capabilities?" Did that make any sense? Ella hoped so.

Alyssa thought for awhile before she raised her hand. "Sir I believe that the portraits like Ella said is a living memory of the person or persons depicted in it. I remember we were taught how to make a potion that made regular pictures into moving pictures by Professor Lafay."

"As for emotions, I'm not sure whether they have that although I have seen the Fat Lady cry and run in horror." Alyssa scratched her head thinking about that.

Jacob Cutter it was. Without waiting for Daichi's response about the seat, quickly, Erin suited herself and slouched onto it. She took out her parchment and pen ready for the discussion about Magical Portraiture. All ears, she listened to Mr. Jacob Cutter's words. Seminars were important, they weren't usually offered in regular magical schools and so she really needed to pay very much attention.

And as for the question, Erin raised her hand slowly, "A being on a magical portrait, as I know, can travel from one portrait to another given that they are in the same place, like Hogwarts?" Erin suggested but very much sure that there was something in between those lines.

Keefer just kind of stared at the man. Magical portraiture... Art isn't exactly my strong suit. But this question wasn't really art-related, at least, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

He thrust both fists into the air, just like he always did. "Um, sir, I don't really know that much. But just from walking by the same portraits for seven years now, it seems that many of them repeat the same phrases. Others have a less limited vocabulary, but that may just be because I haven't watched them enough."

That much was speculation. The other bit, on the other hand, was fact. "But I know that Tate's office has a portrait of each former Head, and it just sort of.. appears there once the subject dies. At least, that's what Dumbledore's did almost a hundred years ago." So at least one confirmed occurrence, then.

Minerva thought about that question and to be honest did not know much about the portraits. She never talked to any nor did she really take the time to look at them. She put up her hand though, "I know that portraits can move to other portraits to visit and I know they can interact with us even though I'm not sure why or how."

West knew something.

He put his hand up.

"Some of them are really annoying, but if you thump them, they mostly shut up."

Cutter nodded to the girl. "Very good, Miss..." it was then that Cutter realised he hadn't asked for their names, nor did students come with nametags for his convenience.

He'd have to work around that.

"You're correct in the fact that they're essentially only a memory. A shadow, if you will. They look the same, but they're merely an imitation. Though I'm inclined to disagree on the emotions part. There's a bit of debate regarding that, because really, how can we truly know if and what a painting can feel."

He liked these kids so far. "Yes, thank you for bringing that up. Moving photographs are actually a topic that ties in with all of this, and as for the Fat Lady... let's just say she's a good argument for portraits with feelings."

"Close!" Cutter responded quickly, almost sounding a bit excited as he indicated this girl to the class. "As Miss..." -didn't know names, he remembered too late- "Er, as this student has brought up, rather... portraits can travel into other portraits. Yes. I'm guessing Sir Cadogan is still hanging somewhere in the school, and I wouldn't be surprised if you've all seen him out of frame. But portraits aren't always limited to one building."

He nodded in this older boy's direction.

"Yes, some portraits have very limited vocabulary, while some can be rather... verbose. It all comes down to the artist, really. As well as the subject matter, but the artist has more sway over that."

And surely most were aware of the Headmaster's Chambers' artwork.

Another encouraging nod to this girl. "Yes, they can, on both counts."

...Cutter had almost missed this one's answer, but it was far too bizarre to fully gloss over, and it actually stopped his momentum dead.

Thump them?

"Er... I suppose. Though I don't advocate portrait thumping, as it could damage them. Maybe it's best to ignore them."

With another wand flick, Cutter was adding notes to the board.

"Portraits are not "sentient", therefore the argument usually made is that they cannot think for themselves. However, if they are of a specific person, they will retain the thought patterns and many of the memories of the person of whom they have been painted. This is why The Fat Lady and Sir Cadogan have more personality than say, the painting of the fruit bowl that hangs over the kitchen entrance."

The words "photographs" appeared on the board and underlined itself rather insistently as Cutter trailed off, and he glanced at it with a slight frown, muttering an inaudible I know at the board before addressing the class again.

"Photographs were mentioned... I assume that Professor Lafay explained the difference between them and portraits? And please, before I forget again, please state your name when you raise your hand to answer. I'm afraid I'm rather at a loss, as none of you were students last time I taught here."

"That's what Professor Scabior said too. About not thumping them, but honestly, Hengist Rawkes just talks too much and is really wrong and all. Maybe because his portrait is old though, he doesn't know new things? Not properly at least." West tucked his leg up on the chair and rested his chin on his knee, thinking.

... wait, what kind of question is that?

He put his hand up again. "I dunno what Professor Lafay says, but anyone can hold a camera and point it, but if you suck at drawing, your portrait will be kind of limited, wouldn't it? One's more limited by equipment and the other by talent." Which West had. Talent. "West Odessa." He added as an afterthought.

Minerva tried to think about what Lafay had said when they did the pictures. She really couldn't remember it was her first term that they did that assignment. What was that she had said, she loved doing the pictures though, she still had some really great ones from her first year. Shaking her head she came back to reality from her thoughts. "Minerva Wheatborn, I think that pictures are a moment in time, something real that has been captured. Where a portrait is from someones head to their hands. They draw it, paint it, and frame it. It is an image from their imagination."

Jory raised his hand. "Jory Stonewall, Sir,'' he said. "Photographs are taken to capture a particular moment with a camera and while portraits also capture particular moments, they are hand drawn and painted.''

Catching up xD
 

Chelle quickly scribbled down notes on her parchment. If she was going to be able to keep up with the lesson, she couldn't do without taking notes.

When did Professor Lafay explain the difference between photographs and portraits?

Chelle frowned. Either she had not been paying attention while the Potions Professor was telling the students about the difference between photographs and portraits- which was highly unlikely- OR Chelle simply hadn't been there at the moment. The latter was more likely than the former, of course. Either way, she had no idea of the answer.

"Um, I suppose that photographs are taken with the help of a camera? While portraits are painted..." Chelle attempted meekly. "Michelle Adams, Sir," she added in the end.

Seeing that the class had already started, Nora was sort of sorry that she didn't get the chance to say anything else to Chelle as she took the seat next to her, so she only smiled at her and mumbled a 'Nora' in response, and nothing more. She wouldn't want this man to get annoyed at her for speaking during the lesson, because she wasn't. Nope.

She found it a bit difficult to follow him, but she knew that she'd eventually understand something, and maybe even take a few notes from time to time. As for his question, she raised her hand to answer, although she couldn't really remember whether professor Lafay had told them that or not. "We take photographs with a camera, and portraits... I guess they require a lot of work and talent." Or not?

Difference between photographs and portraits... Honestly, Janice had no idea about it. They pretty much mean the same thing to her, but she'll give it a go.

"Maybe, sir," she said after raising her hand, "portraits are pictures of living things, and photographs are pictures of every other thing. Is that right?" She was totally unsure of it. "Janice Trewhella, sir." She added.

catching up guh >_<
 

Jacob Cutter.... Vickers took out a parchment and started scribbling some notes as is his nature. What did they know about the magical portraits? Raising his hand he replied "They were usually of distinguished people or interesting events." Interesting of course, is usually in the eye of the beholder...


He furrowed his brows thoughtfully, trying to recall a lesson of Lafay's... he remembered studying about creating the potion for the moving pictures. Up goes the hand again "Photographs are faithful reproductions of what is captured by an apparatus like a camera..." he started, being careful not to knock the artistry of photography "... Portraits are paintings done by artisans, using their skills with their chosen medium to capture the image-- usually for a person." Oh and his name "Vincenzo Vanderbilt Sir."

Now that the whole fruit nickname thing had left her mind, Renesmee actually paid attention to what was going on in the lesson. So now they were talking about photographs and potraits. Ness bit her lip, couldn't you get photographs that were potraits. If she remembered corectly, wasn't it that potraits were just an image of someones face. Did it really matter whether it was painted or taken by a camera? Ness wasn't sure if she was thinking was even right. Either way she raised her hand, hoping this teacher knew.

Once her turn, she smiled a tiny bit. "Professor, I'm Peach." She was barely even concious that she had said that instead of her real name. She continued as though nothing had happened." I'm not sure if this is right, but I think that a potrait can even be in a photograph form, because a potrait is a close up of somebody's face and you can still get that even in photo's right?." Now she might of had it all wrong, but thats what she remembered.

It took her a few seconds after she had answered to realise that she had really said Peach instead of Ness or Renesmee. See, this was why she hated nicknames. The red head looked at the 'Cherry' girl beside her and went a little red from the embarrasment, she then tried to give the girl a funny look, showing she was just a little annoyed. Silly fruit nicknames.

Hmm. What were the differences between photographs and portraits? Ella wasn't sure that any professor had explained that to her so she thought it over for a few minutes. Well as most people had already said, photographs are taken by a camera where as lots of portraits have been painted. There was another difference that Ella considered but hadn't heard yet. "Professor,...Oh right, I'm Ella Bishop. I was wondering if one of the differences is that in a photograph, you can capture just about anything but in a portrait, you want to capture a person and show what they're about...meaning like their job or hobby or something."

"Erin Heyman, Sir," the Ravenclaw smiled.

Her classmates comparison between portraits and photographs were becoming really dull, they were just rephrasing and repeating each and everybody's answer. Instead, Erin plopped her back on her chair and added some tidbits on her notes. Erin raised her hand quickly as she saw her yellow-colored notebook. Yes. Light. "Photographs are images made of light like the others mentioned by using a camera, and portraits...er...I think they're also pictures of anything as long as it is made by hand like a painting or a drawing."

Playing catch up and edited because I hit send before I was done typing.
 

Alyssa listened as the other students gave their answers and when it was her turn, she raised her hand and said.

"Sir, I'm Alyssa Potter. Like some of the other students have mentioned, moving photographs are pictures of people taken with a regular camera and then made into moving pictures using a special potion. The pictures capture the moment of the event, so I don't think that the people in the pictures can move out of it. That is the difference between a moving picture and a portrait."

"As for portraits, the subject of the portrait is painted by an artist, usually after the subject of the painting is dead. I guess in a sense for their loved ones, it helps to see that the person lives on. It has to be painted with magical paint and not ordinary muggle artist paint."

"Unlike the subjects in a picture, the subjects in the portraits seem to have a life of their own. Like you said, they can move around from one portrait to another, they can even help spy for somebody while they doing that and warn people and they can even go to sleep."

catching up...
 

"Sir, they remind me sort of like ghosts..." Sarah said



Sarah raised her hand "Sir -Sarah Edwards. I think portraits required more thought on the behalf of the artist then a photograph on the behalf on f the photographer. I mean the artist has to toil over the painting while a photographer, perhaps arranges the elements and snap - no extra work"

The difference between Photographs and Portraits? Umm..He wasn't sure what the difference between the two of them, nevertheless Messer raised his hand to answer the Professor's question "Edvard Messer, Sir." he said. "I think the differences between the two of them, Photograph is an imagine captured by a camera like most of my classmate said while Portrait is a painting created by an artist on a medium they choose and usually in a portrait we could see the mood even personality from the person on the portrait." Yup that's he think.

catching up
 

Nigel did not really know so he might as well guess.

"They might be ghosts trapped to only paintings"



Nigel raised his hand and said "Nigel Barrington, Sir. I think the difference is that people have to make of an effort to make a portrait compared to a photograph. Which is one little click on a camera and then you have a picture."

Nigel had no idea if he was right or not but why not guess.

sorry for being so slow >-<
 

This kid... Cutter chuckled and rubbed his chin, considering how best to explain it. "Most knowledge is beyond the realm of portraits," he said hesitantly. "They can learn passwords, remember conversations and things about people, but... as for the rest, you gotta remember that they're old, and older people tend to be set in their ways."

He paused.

"And yes, that's true, Mr. Odessa."

Maybe she hadn't explained the difference. Cutter nodded at the girl, however.

"That's the mechanical difference, yes."

Another nod for this girl, though not really the answer Cutter was looking for.

"Not exactly, Miss Trewhella. After all, there are portraits hanging around Hogwarts that are of landscapes or animals, are there not? They're still portraits."

They were all focusing on the mechanical differences in this, which meant Cutter hadn't been clear enough with his question. They were right though.

"I was looking more for the magical differences, but yes you're all right." He paused. "But, for the record, they're definitely not ghosts trapped in frames."

Cutter indicated this one.

"Thank you, Miss Potter. As you mentioned, the photograph is simply a captured moment, made to move with a special potion. Photographs don't interact with you, they don't speak, they're not aware. Portraits are made through a much different process, which is why they're able to interact; they require specific spellwork on top of all the work that goes into painting it. And yes, they're painted with magical paint... which we'll be learning how to make today!"

He pointed to the board, where some more notes had appeared.

"Milk paint is one of the oldest types of paint, and is fairly easy to make. What we're making first is a base, to which we'll add pigments to create the colours." He gestured to one side of the classroom, where a large table with ingredients had been set up. "If you're at a table with someone else, you'll be working with that person. Please come collect your ingredients quickly."

He chewed his lip, feeling as if he was forgetting something...

It would come to him.

Cool! So they would be learning to make magical paint! Ella was quite excited about this, especially because she knew she could write Logan and tell him all about it. He'd be quite interested. She picked up her quill and quickly copied down the notes that had appeared on the board. It wasn't a surprise to her that milk paint was the oldest types of paint. Mostly because milk was like...well it was everywhere! People probably always had access to it.

O____o

So she'd have to work with Theodore on this...like together. Well this wouldn't be awkward or anything. Nope. Course not...what with him thinking she loved him even though she didn't actually love love him. Crazy little lurker. This lesson was going to be interesting. Definitely interesting.

Looking over at the first year, Ella began to stand. "I'll go grab the ingredients, okay?" Not that he really had a choice, she was already walking away towards where the large table stood. Right. Ingredients. Looking around, Ella took in everything on the table before slowly pulling items towards her. She gathered everything they would need, careful not to drop anything, and returned to Theodore. "I think I got it all." She said with a shrug before setting everything up neatly.

Dora didn't HAVE a partner, so she would have to do all the work, which was just fiiiiiiiine for the firstie. She hoped out of her seat before the professor could finish his last sentence and bound over to the table with all the ingredients to get there FIRST so she could have the best stuff!

She gathered up all the things she needed that she could carry, and carefully walked back over to her table. This was gonna take two trips.

Partner-less D:
 

Louisa just nodded and wrote down notes about almost everything the man remembered said and pointed out. She was pretty impressed at her classmates who seemed aware enough of portraiture and arts in general. She wasn't. Oh and guess what? The spot she'd saved for Jonathan was never full, the boy probably was too savvy to attend this class. Heh.

The Ravenclaw, however, got up and started collecting the ingredients mister Cutter listed. One gallon milk, two cups of vinegar, three tbsp of borax, and a half cup of water. She sat back on her table and looked around, she was fine by working on her own but just in case someone wanted to partner with her... ahem.

Looking for partner too.
 

Alyssa quickly picked up her quill and started writing down the ingredients to the Milk Paint.



Then she put down her quill and went to pick up the ingredients and went back to her work desk. Then she looked around to see whether anyone would partner up with her.



Then Alyssa saw Louisa and shifted over to ask her. "Would you mind if I was your partner for this class?"

Louisa gestured at the empty seat as if to say 'go ahead'. "Yeah, sure, Alyssa." The girl was brilliant and always had something to say in classes. Better than partnering up with someone who made Louisa do all the hard work for them, hehe.

The Ravenclaw Prefect turned her attention back to the Cutter sir waiting for further instructions.

West went and got the stuffffffffff and when he returned with it he double checked that he had it all. 1 gallon milk, 2 cups vinegar, 3 tbsp powdered borax
1/2 cup water, cauldron, bowl, cheese cloth.... Okie doke.

"How does the milk not go yuck?" West put his hand up to ask when he had sat down again.

Theodore had ignored Ella's presence completely up until now. He did not like chatting in classes anyway, but it was also awkward for some reason. Way awkward. But what...... they had to work together?

Ehhhhh, okay. There could be worse partners. Like a Ravenclaw.

"Okay." He said, as she went and fetched the ingredients. She probably wanted him to keep rested all cosy-like, cos she adored him so much. It was cute, really. Theo smiled when she returned.

The first year got a bit excited when he saw all of the ingredients in front of him. He wanted to mix them ALL, and CONCOCT.

While Cutter waited for the students to finish gathering their ingredients, he set up his own table; when he glanced up and saw Odessa's hand and heard his question, he smiled.

"Well this milk is charmed to not go sour right now, if that's what you mean... if you mean as paint, it's... we'll actually be using curdles, mixed with everything else. I promise, it won't make your room stink."

He raised his voice a little to address the class.

"If there's anybody without a partner who wants one, or anyone who feels apprehensive about this process at all, don't hesitate to raise your hand..." he pointed at the board. "But if everyone's ready otherwise, we can begin."

"Make sure to mix it well, and light your burner with a very low flame to warm it," Cutter murmured, dumping his own gallon of milk into the cauldron before him & following it with the vinegar. He picked up a simple wood stirrer and swirled it in the pot for a minute or two as the flame flared to life under the belly of the cauldron. "Normally this mixture would be left to curdle by itself overnight; however, for the sake of time, and because we can, we're going to use a spell. It's a simple spell and even the first years should be okay doing it."

Leaving the stirrer in the cauldron, he indicated the board once more.

"Like I said, it's very easy. Once the mixture is warmed, simply circle the top of the caulron-" he demonstrated, moving his wand above the lip of the cauldron, "-and... Coagulus."

A little steam rose from the cauldron, but nothing more happened to indicate that the spell had done anything. Cutter set his wand aside.

"You won't see the curdling immediately, but within a few minutes it should be evident." He looked out over the class. "Are there any questions so far?"

He hoped he wasn't going too fast for them.

with Gwen
 

So they are painting....

He expected this didnt he? Still doesnt make the trepidation of painting pathetic excuse for an artwork any easier.

He glanced at Gwen, indicating that he will collect their ingredients for them, then stood to measure out and collect each item before bringing them back to their table. "I hope you're a better artist than I am..." he mumbled shyly at his fellow Claw.


Okay.... time to work on the paint

He uttered the Incendio spell under the cauldron to get the heat going, then carefully poured the milk and the vinegar in. He took the wooden stirrer and turned it a few times in the mixture. Scribbling a few things on his parchment about the spell he took his wand and, after observing the Instructor, followed to do the same thing. "Coagulus" he uttered as he traced a circle over his cauldron.

Professah and Little Lurker
 

Ella hadn't expected the smile from the little guy so she raised her eyebrows at him before returning it reluctantly. Was he scheming or something? He wasn't going to like...hair whip during class or anything right? Nahhh. He wouldn't do that...would he? She decided she would keep a close eye on him just in case. If there was even a hint of a hair whip in progress, Ella would be walking away.

So they were going to get started? Cool. Ella picked up her wand and pointed it under the cauldron. "Incendio." She said, watching as a small flame appeared. Heh! She was getting pretty good with spells. Pulling the milk forward, Ella pushed it in front of Theodore. "You want to pour, Theo?" He might as well...after all, they were supposed to be working together. While she waited for his answer, Ella reached for the vinegar and pulled it towards her. Next she grabbed for the spoon. They were ready to go.

A milk paint, weird. Least, West Odessa asked what she was meaning to ask. And she need not to worry anymore. Erin wrote all the ingredients that had appeared on the board and once she's finished, she riveted her attention to the Professor. She went to pick up the ingredients she needed. 1 gallon milk, 2 cups vinegar, 3tbsp borax, 1/2 cup water, cauldron, bowl and cheese cloth. Now, she's all ready. Quickly, Erin moved back to her table.



Erin used the Incendio spell to light the burner with a low flame. With that, she poured the milk slowly and then the vinegar. Since the vinegar was transparent, as she took a peek into the cauldron, the solution was white. With a wooden stirrer, Erin stirred the mixture inside the cauldron. She took out her wand and uttered, "Coagulus" in a circular motion just like what the lecturer said.

Sophie!
 

As he got the ingredients they needed for the paint, Mordred went back to his seat and prepared the burner and cauldron. After which, he added the milk and vinegar in the pot and ignited the burner with a low flame. He stirred the solution briefly and turned to his partner. “You want to do the spell?” he asked Sophie and eyed the writings on the board.

Louisa is included in helping here. Actually I'm hearing House's Cutner xD
 

Alyssa smiled over at Louisa grateful that the Prefect was willing to work with her. Then she turned to listen to what Professor Cutter was telling them to do, quickly writing down the instructions in her journal.



Alyssa then put down her quill and first cleaned their cauldron using the cleaning spell by tapping her wand inside it and saying "Scourgify". Then she lit the burner by pointing her wand at it and said, "Incendio".

Next she poured the milk and vinegar into the cauldron and then she picked up a wooden stirrer, made sure it was clean before she started stirring the mixture. When she saw the mixture start to warm up, Alyssa picked up her wand and traced a circle over the cauldron and said, "COAGULUS".

She hoped that she had done it right because she couldn't see any difference in the mixture. It would embarrassing if she messed it up for Louisa and herself.

Holy falling behind, Batman!
 

Wow. That was a lot to take in. Keefer scribbled frantically in his notebook, recording the various differences the man was reiterating. As the ingredients scrawled across the board, the Captain dutifully copied them. He liked to have the list right in front of him so he could cross things off as he went rather than read them off the board.

He gathered the necessary ingredients, though it took him two trips. As a matter of habit, he peered into the provided cauldron, pointed his wand, and thought Scourgify! Lafay had taught him well. Then he waited for more instructions, which were soon forthcoming.



Once given the green light, Keefer poured the proper amounts of milk and vinegar into his cauldron, rechecking to make sure he had the right amount of each. He bent and lit a flame beneath the great pewter belly, tapering the flame down to a low burn. Next came the few stirs with the wooden rod, just as the professor had modeled.

Wand in hand, he prepared to cast the spell. As was his habit, he made sure to practice the wand movement and practice the pronunciation first, though not at the same time. Satisfied, he traced out a single circle around his cauldron and said, "Coagulus!" Since it had to sit for a few minutes, Keefer stuck his hand up to ask something he was curious about.

"Keefer Marius, sir, and I was wondering if it mattered which way you trace the circle during the casting.." Clockwise or counterclockwise? "I think I went the same direction around as you did just to be safe, but I didn't know if it would make a difference in speed or effectiveness." After so many years in Potions, Keefer had come to appreciate such small nuances.

Anyone else hearing Kumar as you read Cutter?? XD,
 

Minerva had walked over and got her materials. Once she sat down she put her hand up. "I have no one at my table if someone needs a partner I would be glad to be theirs." She then listened to instructions and she made sure she did the mixture well in the cauldron. Then she brought the burner to low heat. The smell of Milk and Vinegar made Minerva turn her nose, but she kept making sure it was stirred enough. She watched in her cauldron until it seemed that the mixture was warm. Minerva took out her wand and circled the cauldron "Coagulus" She smiled as she watched in the cauldron. Nothing happened for a few minutes, but then she saw the curdling start. She looked up and waited for their next instruction.

Been here the whole time *whistles*
 

Sophie watched closely as Mordred did everything they were supposed to do. She was going to offer help, but he was doing everything so quickly and skillfully that she just watched him work with a small smile on her face.

OH! Her eyes sparkled as he asked her if she wanted to do the spell. "Yes!" Of course she wanted to do it! Spells were awesome and Sophie was always excited to learn new ones! Coagulus. She mouthed before saying it out loud. "Coagulus." Simple enough!

Pulling out her wand, Sophie did the circle above the cauldron. "Coagulus!" And...? Did it work?? She stared down at the milk and vinegar mixture. "How..." She was going to ask how they were supposed to know if it had worked, but then decided to wait. Professor Cutter said they would only see the thing actually happening after a few minutes, right? Ohlook! A little steam was coming out of the cauldron! It had worked then, right?? Yay!

After putting down her wand, she raised her hand and looked at the professor. "Professor, would it be better if we waited for the thing to curdle overnight? Does it make the paint better or something?" Or was he talking about muggles when he said that? "Does it make any difference at all??" She added curiously. "Oh, I'm Sophie Campbell, sir!"

Theodore blinked as Ella immediately began throwing fire spells about. How could she possibly feel so confident with that spell? Theo knew it would be years before he was throwing fire spells whenever he pleased. Yup.

Yes, he would pour the milk.

He carefully poured the lot into their cauldron, being very cautious of the flame. It was only small but it was a FLAME, nonetheless. Okay, so she was doing the vinegar.

"Shall I do the spell, yes?" He urged.

Theodore should be so trusted with spells at this stage, right?

=|

As the other Ravenclaw stood up to go get the ingredients, Gwen simply gave a small nod. Truth be told she was a bit unsure about this whole milk painting. She wouldn’t have pictured before class that this was what they were going to do... Instead of regular portrait-making. Anyway- should be somehow the same, right? Riiight? Because in that case, she’d have no problem with the drawing part.

But as Vickers returned to his seat, the fourth year smirked after having heard his remark. Gwendolyn just raised her shoulders, giving no other response. How could she even say something when she had no idea how bad his drawing skills were? Anyway- she loved drawing, and pretty much anything that had to do with art. This was why she attended this seminar in the first place. ‘Sooo …you don’t draw?’ Sketch. Paint. Whatever. Like… umm... at all?

Before she knew it, Vickers had already set up the cauldron and mixed the milk and vinegar. So far, there wasn’t anything she could help out with. Looks like she’d just have to wait for further instructions.

Sarah was going to work with herself then - it was okay about thatm nothing she could not handle. She went over to the other table and collected the ingredients - a gallon milk, 2 cups vinegar, 3tbsp borax (powdered) and a 1/2 cup water. She balaced it all carefully in her arms and made two trips. Smelling the vineager, she wrinkled her nose - it reminded her of the time that she had lice...
Sarah's face contorted with concentration as she followed the instructions. In order to make sure it was all clean in the cauldron, she said "scourify" -no notable difference there, obviously they had been cleaned well before.She then casted "incendio" and flame appeared, flickering under the cauldron. Then she sloshed in the milk. The vinegar was next Sarah blocked her nose for a second as the vinegar was added to the mixture. Certain the odor had passed she unblocked it. Next step was to stir it with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until it warmed up. Clockwise or anti-clockwise wondered she, she opted for the former. Her arms were aching yet Sarah stirred on. Soon the mixture started to warm up, so Sarah decided to cast the spell. She whipped out her wand and made a circle around her cauldron and said "Coagulus". As the kind sir had predicted, the mixture acted with nonchalance at first to her spell, yet let off a bit of steam. She awaited her next instructions.

Not going sour. Curdles. Right. West nodded firmly, satisfied with the answer. He glanced at the big kid that was sitting with him and now apparently not doing any work and SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHED. SIGH.

SEE? This is why he said he MINDED cos he could be having FUN with one of his COOL FRIENDS but was stuck with a big boy. All older kids were dumb. Except Aspen.

And maybe Sierra. And Aurora. And Kimalia. And Dylan. And maaaaybe Kennedy, West wasn't sure about Kennedy yet but since he was a prefect it meant-- wait. Where was he? Oh yeah! Magical Portraiture!

He stuck his hand up. "Just so you know, I'm doing this BY MYSELF." He looked pointedly at the big kid and then arranged HIS ingredients.

... a spell first years could do? West wasn't so SURE. He wasn't GREAT with his wand, because obviously the teachers weren't great. It had nothing to do with him. Though Sierra had helped lots, and Professor Bentley. But he would TRY.

West went ahead and dumped his ingredients into the cauldron, which he'd also pointedly shifted closer to himself. Mixey mixey! He turned the burner on and focused on some good heart stirring. Low flame til it was warm? He could do that. And before he got to the spell part, West had another question.

Hand up.

"Hey, dude? I mean, Mr? I mean, Professor? Sir?" Paaause "You can use other kinds of paints too other than milk ones right? I think some of the ones on the first floor are oil and some are acrylic."

Chelle blushed. Mechanical difference. Well, she knew that it wasn't the answer he was looking for. Obviously. But at least she tried!

Oooh. Fun. We're making paint.

Chelle scribbled down the things that the Professor had written on the board, and then she walked up to the table on the side and returned with a handful of ingredients. She looked to Nora, who was sitting beside here. "We're gonna be working together!" she said.

Chelle listened to the Professor very carefully, then proceeded to do exactly as he had asked. She dumped the milk and vinegar into her cauldron. She lit the burner with a light flame, as she had been instructed. Then she picked up a wooden stirrer which was lying on her desk and started mixing it very carefully. She stirred for a while, then decided to stop. Then she turned sideways to look at her partner.

"You want to do the spell?" she asked Nora.

Selena/Jenn ^__^
 

Trying to forget about the embarrasing thing she had done before, the red head continued listening tot he Professor and the others. This was interesting, this whole thing betweemnn moving photos and potraits, and come to think of it this never ever occured to Ness. Hmm..at least she knew about it now and surely she'd pay more attention to potraits and photos after this class.

Looking at the desk where the Professor had pointed, Ness got up and went over to get some ingredients for her and Selena. She hoped Selena was okay with that, if not then oops. Ness picked up everything she needed, checking on the board every now and then to mak sure she was getting enough quantities and all.

Once back at the desk she placed all the things down and wrote down a few notes from the board. She wrote down the ingredients, the spell and anything else she felt she needed. Ness then looked up at Selena. "Sooo..should we get started?" she asked begining to pout.

As she listened to what Mr Cutter was telling them, Nora was ready to go fetch everything they needed, but...

... apparently Chelle did everything for her as well. Like... get the needed stuff and mix them all or whatever they had to do. Oh, well. "Okay," she said with a smile, glad that the younger girl had let that part to Nora. She was good with spells, so she wouldn't complain... this time.

Waiting for the mixture to warm up, Nora then made a circle with her wand over the top of the cauldron and said clearly "Coagulus". Now... did it work? A similar steam rose from their cauldron though, just as she'd seen when he'd told them how to do it. They had to wait a few moments, right?

Ella watched as Theodore poured the milk into their cauldron. She wanted to laugh at his very apparent fear of the tiny flame under the cauldron but refrained, knowing he wouldn't be pleased with her if she did. Instead, the second year picked up the vinegar and added that too.

As she was going for the wooden spoon, she heard the little lurker ask to do the spell. She turned to look at him, studying him for a minute. Could he do it? He wouldn't like...blow them up or anything, right? Because that might put a damper on this whole seminar thing...But he deserved a chance to try, didn't he? It was only fair. She picked up the spoon and began stirring the mixture, weighing her options for a minute or two, very aware that the firsty was waiting on her reply.

When she had finished stirring and assumed the milk and vinegar were warmed enough, she set down the spoon and turned to her partner. "I uh-well sure Theodore, you can do the spell." And please of please don't blow us up. "Just uh-just try to think about what's meant to happen when you do it, okay? Concentrate."

OH LOOK. She had a helpful person to work with - because Selena didn't have to do anything. The Slytherin head girl snapped off a piece of chocolate from her breakfast chocolate and shoved it into her mouth when the girl left. Mm... chocolatey. When the girl had came back, Selena found her mouth full of chocolate.

"Of course, Peach," Selena said, swallowing the chocolate quickly and wiping her mouth. Psht. The professor didn't see it, obviously. It was totally normal to EAT in class. People got hungry. "Right, so first step is..." the girl glanced at the board then at Peach. "Mixing the vinegar and milk in the cauldron." Well, first they'd have to clean the cauldron... yes? Selena took her wand out and quickly cast a quick scourgify. It was like making a potion, really, so they should remember the C's of it? Yes? Of course. Lafay would eat them alive otherwise.

Selena looked at the ingredients. "Do you wanna dump them in and I cast the spell or other way around?" she asked. It didn't matter to Selena... maybe she'd get to eat more chocolate in the process.

Only quoted questions but you're all doing great! & I prefer Kutner ;)
 

"Clockwise is the general direction I personally use, but in this case it's not really important, Mr. Marius." Cutter looked at all the students. "However, it's a good question to ask, and a good thing to remember. It's always best to make sure."

Another question drew Cutter's attention. "It doesn't make a difference, actually. Some artists like to let it curdle overnight like Muggles do while making it, but there's no difference in the end between that and our paint."

This kid was amusing. Cutter nodded when he announced he was going to work by himself and went back to watching the students. If he'd learned anything being a substitute both here and elsewhere, it was that no matter how easy the instruction, one still needed to watch the kids closely, because someone could still do something wrong.

At least there were no tentacula this time.

Dude?

"Of course. Oil and acrylic are by far the most widely used, but making them isn't as easy a process as milk paint. There's manufacturers that make magical oil and acrylic paints, but I thought that'd be less exciting for you all."

He gave them another minute or two to finish up what they were doing before clearing his throat and directing their attention to the board once more. Time to move on.

"This part's easy enough. Lift the curdling spell after it's had enough time to work-" Cutter flicked his wand and lifted the spell on his own cauldron, "- and turn off the burner. Stretch the cheesecloth over the bowl and ladle everything out slowly and carefully. The liquid should drain through the cheesecloth and leave only the curds behind. Vanish the liquid, and then dump the curds into the bowl."

She seemed uneasy, which bothered Theodore GREATLY. Didn't she trust him and his mad skillery? How rude.

"Of course, I will concentrate. I'm not STUPID." He rolled his eyes at the blonde, then pulled out his wand and cleared his throat. He always got so nervous before casting spells.

AHEM... "Coagulush." He flicked his wand slightly, and bent forwards to closely examine.

Did he SAY it wrong? He so did, as the contents of the cauldron stayed completely unchanged. "Coagulus." He carried on his close examining, not even blinking, BUT still being aware of the flame. After a few minutes of ferocious staring, the liquid started to curdle and he turned to grin SMUGLY at Ella.

"See? I did it."

Ella frowned at Theodore, returning the eye roll just as quickly as it was received. "Never said you were, lurker." Just so they had that clear.

Raised eyebrows. That's what the firsty got from Ella when he FAILED to say the incantation correctly. And he had the nerve to eye roll at her for questioning him. Hmph. She didn't say anything though. He could try again...she guessed.

The second year was pleasantly surprised when in the end, Theodore actually got the spell correct. She joined him, peering into the cauldron to watch as the mixture began to curdle. "Well done." She said sincerely, sitting up straight once again.

When Cutter dude gave them the next instructions, Ella pointed her wand at the cauldron and stopped the spell. She then moved the wand tip to point at the burner, extinguishing the flame. She looked at Theo, giving him a 'See I can do magic too' look, before putting her wand down again. "You want to do the cheesecloth or shall I?" She asked, reaching for the item.

Does he draw? "Uhm... I just do a rough sketch, kinda like when I want to remember something about a creature and parts and stuff." not quite the artistic type efforts in other words.





Alright so now it was onto the next step. He took his wand in his hand again and flicked it to cancel out the curdling spell, then aimed it under his cauldron to turn the heating from the bottom off. After additional scribbling of his notes he glanced at Gwen "I can stretch out the cheesecloth so it doesnt dip into the bowl when we strain the curdles." he said as he took hold of the cheesecloth and stretch it nice and tight across the surface of the bowl.

All yours Laila
 

Alyssa watched as Professor Cutter demonstrated the next steps on making the paint. Then she picked up her quill and wrote down the steps in her journal.



After she was done writing, she put down her quill and was about to pick up her wand, when she realized that she was partnering with Louisa. So she put down her wand and smiled over to Louisa.

"All yours Louisa." Alyssa smiled over at her partner.

Strain the curds. That didn’t sound very complicated. Gwen watched as the other Ravenclaw stretched the cheesecloth. ‘All right’, the fourth year mumbled, more like in order to tell herself she should get going. After looking over the instructions, Gwen grabbed the ladle, which she used to get out the liquid carefully, letting it after words drain over the cheesecloth which Vickers had just placed over the bowl. So far so good, the girl told herself as she put back the ladle.

What is next?, the Ravenclaw asked herself and glimpsed over to the instructions. Vanish the liquid. ‘Umm… will you vanish it or shall I?’, the girl asked.

Kutner!!! *wibbles*
 

Louisa had paid enough attention to the Cutter person explaining the first step for them and then she started writing her own notes. She thought each one of them was doing their own... mixture or whatever they were exactly doing but Alyssa apparently took the partnership to heart. GOOD! The Ravenclaw watched the younger Huffie work and she nodded slightly approving and taking notes of her work. All was good so far.



She was watching the mister demonstrating, her hand holding the quill scribbling down on her parchment.



.... huh? Oh! Right, her turn. Louisa caught her wand and flicked it over the cauldron to stop the spell and another wand movement to stop the fire. The Prefect then grabbed the cheesecloth and with her other hand, she brought the bowl closer to her. Carefully the girl laid the cheesecloth over the bowl and stretched. Then with the ladle she started spreading the liquid over the cloth veeeeeeery slowly... slowly... slowly... slowly... this was getting on her nerves... slowly... bleh.... slowly... GAH. "My eye is twitching..." she joked, without smiling.

Once she was done, she straightened up and waited for the liquid drain. She kept her gaze over the bowl, noticing the change in the substance's density. The liquid was indeed draining through, indeed. She looked up and smiled at Alyssa before waiting for two more minutes.

"I think it's done.." Louisa lifted the cheesecloth carefully and dumped the curds on it in a pot. With her wand, she vanished the liquid with a loud Evanesco since it was a hard spell verbally, let alone trying it non-verbally. And moved the curds back into the bowl.

"All done!" she grinned at her partner.

I do hope Stefan gets online before the next post, lol =P
 

Jory stopped the curdling spell then aimed his wand to cease the flame at the bottom. Carefully, he placed the cheesecloth over the bowl and then grabbed the ladle. Slowly, the badger began to place the liquid on the cloth and he watched at the liquid passed through the cloth while the curd remained on it.

Jory vanished the liquid from the bowl and then placed the curdles into it.

Major catching up....
 

Minerva watched as the man showed them the next step. He seemed nice enough and this was pretty interesting. She then looked into her cauldron it was still on low heat and the milk was definitely curdling. It really did look super duper gross. She felt her stomach turn a bit and flicked her wand over the cauldron to stop the spell. Once that was finished Minerva laid out the cheese cloth and dumped the cauldron so that the curdles were on the cloth, but the liquid drained through. Moving the cloth with the curdles on it over she vanished the liquid and then pulled a bowl. Placing the curdles in the bowl she sat quietly to hear the next step.

As soon as Gwen was done pouring out the rest of the milk mixture Vickers lifted the cheesecloth and carefully squeezed out the rest of the liquid off the curds. It was a little icky, but if he guessed right, they need the curds strained off the liquid as much as possible. Cupping the cheesecloth temporarily in his hand he nodded at his fellow Claw "You can vanish it, then I'll drop this in there so we can start off nice and clean for the next step."

Theo was just about to blow the flame out with his own breath, cos he didn't know how to extinguish it.... but....

O_______________O

Ella was like.... ZOOOOOOMING away with that wand of hers. His eyes were wide, but also kind of jealous. Okay, time to make himself seen. Clearing his throat, "I'll do it." He insisted.

Theo very carefully pressed his fingers to each corner of the cheesecloth. Because he WOULD muck it up if he wasn't completely concentrating. That was just in his nature. He stretched it over the bowl, then sat there for a moment, unsure how to continue.

"Umm..." Okay. Now that it was on tightly, Theo eyed the ladle, then eyed Ella. Yeah, that was her job. To sift the liquid out.

"Okay..." Ella said, watching as the little lurker jumped in to take charge. She watched as he carefully pulled the cheesecloth so that it stretched over the bowl. Huh. Impressive. Not even a tear.

"Umm?" Ella said in reply to Theo's ...noise. But then she saw him eyeing her, and then the ladle. Right, so her turn again?

Picking up the ladle, Ella slowly and carefully scooped out the liquid and poured it over the cheesecloth. She watched with a disgusted face as the fluid seeped through, leaving behind the curdley stuff. "Yuck." She said, after doing this for the last time. That was a big pile of...yuck.

Picking up her wand again, Ella pointed it at the bowl and attempted to make the liquid vanish using the vanishing spell. Truth be told, it was actually a bit advanced for the second year but she had read all about it. She was unsuccessful on her first try, and eyed the bowl then Theo with a frown. With renewed annoyance, she tried again, focusing her mind on the task. Looking down. HAH! She did it! COOOOOL!

Placing down her wand like it ain't no thannggg, the second year carefully, VERY carefully, poured the curdle into the bowl. AND they were good!

As Nora finished curdling the milk, the Professor told them to lift the spell. Chelle let Nora lift it and waited for her to put the cheesecloth over the bowl. So far, she was liking the lesson. It is like cooking. Except we're not cooking. She turned to Nora. "Hey, may I drain it out?" she asked. Because she really wanted to do that part.

She was a little crazy that way.

Truth be told, it only occurred to Gwen that she wasn’t that great with the vanishing spell only after having suggested to cast it. Since she considered backing out and admitting she would most likely fail the last option, the fourth year took out her wand and pointed it at the bowl, trying hard to concentrate and only vanish the liquid, not the other objects as well. Focus…, the Ravenclaw told herself and tried hard to keep her hand steady. Here goes…

‘Evanesco’, the fourth year said loud and clear, trying to concentrate on only vanishing the liquid from the bowl.‘Done’, Gwen announced with a small nod, as she noticed the spell had worked like it was supposed to. The girl was wondering how long it would take to finish preparing the milk paint.

Blue eyes watched the Ravenclaw lass concentrate on the vanishing spell. He found it easy enough, but he will admit that it was borne mostly out of practice. Try maintaining an aviary full of birds and most will master cleaning spells out of sheer necessity.

With the bowl now nice and cleared out he opened the cheesecloth and turned it upside down into the bowl, the curds dropping into it with a gentle plop. Folding the cheesecloth aside he peered into the bowl with their newly collected curds. "Looks pretty good..." he murmured approvingly. He looked up, firs at Gwen then at Mr Cutter. They were all set for the next step.

Erin listened as the Professor answered some questions. She wanted to be as observant as possible. Since she preferred to do it by herself, she needed no room for mistakes.

Waiting a few minutes, her milk was curdled enough, Erin flicked her wand to lift the spell on the cauldron following her Professor's demonstration. With that, she turned off the burner and took a hold of the cheesecloth that she had collected earlier. Looking at her classmates to peek on how they were actually doing it, Erin riveted her attention back to her cauldron. Slowly, Erin drained all the liquid towards the bowl and separated the curds by using a cheesecloth medium. She used the Evanesco spell to vanish the liquid from the bowl and put the curds on the empty bowl.

Mordred wondered how long they will take before they could do the painting part. It was good though to learn the steps on how to make magical paints, at least he can do custom made paint hues when he paints back home. Besides, he has always wanted a portrait that could send messages across rooms and maybe countries. The boy watched Sophie not really paying attention to what she was doing. He was just too excited to get to the painting part.

Snapping back to his senses he eyed the bowl that Sophie got and looked at the cauldron. What was he supposed to do? He looked at the next table beside them and nodded. “Yeah, okay. I’ll do that part.” He stood up and turned his attention back to the cauldron and touched it first to make sure that his hand won’t get burned. Deeming that he can, he got the cauldron by the handle and used the ladle and poured the contents on top of the cheesecloth. Once it was done, he placed the cauldron back on top of the burner with the ladle and got hold of the cheesecloth. He bundled the cheesecloth with the curd and got his wand out of his sleeve. “Evanesco.” He murmured under his breath while pointing at the liquid and it vanished. He placed back the cheesecloth with the curd inside the bowl, “And we’re ready.” He said and sat back on his chair.

Sarah obediently lifted the spell. Now was the straining part. Reminded her of back home, when they made butter and cheese from Ellen the cows milk. She spread the cheese cloth over the bowl and She took a ladle and started dishing it all out, though she was consciously telling herself to slow down.. The liquid seeped through the cheesecloth, leaving the outcasts-the curds behind. "Scourify" she casted on the liquid in the bowl and it vanished. She then dumped the curds in to bowl. Little Miss Muffet sat on her....

"Thanks and Hi Lana"

Nigel said after he answered the Professors questions. But he was shocked that the portraits were not ghost. Who knew?

Now they had to make a base for something. Nigel was ready to work and go get the ingredients, but it appeared Lana had everything under control. She rushed off to get the ingredients and came back and got straight to work following the Professor's instructions. Nigel did not want to stop her and say he wanted to help because he did not want to screw up. It appeared that she knew what she was doing and was doing it perfectly.

Once it was all finished Nigel felt like he did not really do anything other than set the cauldron up with her.

"Sorry i did not really help you there Lana, but i will help with the next set of instructions"

Hmmm, did Nora mind if Chelle did what?

Since it was her that cast the spell, she stopped concentrating on it so it stopped 'functioning', so to say, and waved a hand towards the cauldron with a nod of approval at her partner. "Go ahead," she said with a smile, sort of glad that the young Ravenclaw looked so enthusiastic about it, and seemed to do a good job as well. Maybe Nora will do the next part.

They were all doing so well. Nobody had blown anything up or lit themselves on fire or managed to mess anything up. It was great.

"Next step," he called out, pointing as it appeared on the board.

He'd forgotten to set out the smaller bowls for this part. With a sigh, Cutter picked them up and moved out among the tables, setting one at each as he went and checking the general progress of each student.

"Make sure you mix it well, the borax needs to be completely dissolved. It might take a couple of minutes."

As he approached the back of the classroom to hand out bowls, the item in the front of the room next to his desk started making quiet noises. A soft 'pssst' could be faintly heard from under the sheet, though only by those closest to the front, like Odessa.